More things to consider:

1. I have seen Lipo batteries puff up while sitting on the shelf, never sold charged or used. Brand new! They can and sometimes do go bad.

2. Suppose you have one cell of a $200.00 pack go bad. What do you do? Replace the cell or junk the pack?

3. You are SUPPOSED to closely monitor the charging of Lipo batteries. Do you have the time to personally babysit them while they charge?

4. NIMH Batteries are improving rapidly and are not as delicate as Lipos. The difference in weight of a NIMH pack and a similar Lipo pack is not as great as you may think. The weight difference may be insignificant on a larger plane considering you don't need the motor, muffler, rx battery, tank or fuel.

5. NIMH batteries can charge faster, are cheaper and do not have to be monitored or handled with as much care. It is also quite simple to replace one bad cell. Two fast charging NIMH packs may afford you more flight time than 3 Lipo packs that take an hour each to charge.

6. Consider the cost of a crash. A crash is much more likely to ruin a Lipo battery than ruin a glow engine. A crash bad enough to ruin a glow motor will likely also ruin the electric motor and Lipo. Glow engines are much cheaper than Lipo batteries and brushless motors.

7. Fuel is cheap. About $10.00 per gallon around here.

8. I consider electrics MORE dangerous than glow. The electric motor can appear and sound perfectly harmless but bump the throttle at the wrong time and you are in trouble. A glow motor must be started first before it presents a danger. While running it is making noise, smoke and vibrations to warn you of it's capability of causing harm.

I think it comes down to what you like to do. This hobby is so diverse it will keep you busy for several lifetimes! Why limit yourself to one area of interest? Try as much as you can and have fun! Do it all!